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French Kids Get OSS on USB Sticks
daria42 writes "To help make kids aware of alternatives to proprietary software the Ile-de-France, the political district of greater Paris, will give 175,000 school children and apprentices USB keys loaded with open-source software. With a word-processing program, audio and video playback capabilities, an email client and an IM client, these are essentially computers on a stick. The council touts this as 'represent[ing] for students a tool of freedom and mobility between their school, cybercafes and their home or friends' PCs'." With the prevalence of internet cafes in Europe, that might work better than in the US ... but do you think such a project would work here as well? If so, what software would you want to see loaded up?
In what way?
Q: In Christianity, is pooping/farting/etc. moral?
A: There are many possible ways to answer this question. However, from a Christian perspective, most scholars would agree that it is not moral to poop and/or fart. This presents an interesting dilemma, since pooping and farting are physiological requirements of being a human... there's just no way to avoid it! The thing to remember is that we all fall short of the glory of God and that we all are sinners in need of redemption. The fact that we all poop and fart is just further proof of this.
Q: Did humans always poop and fart?
A: No. It is generally agreed that before the Fall from Grace, the digestive systems of human beings were perfect machines. When we ate food and drank liquids, our bodies were able to process all of the material with perfect efficiency, leaving no waste products to be removed. However, after Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge, humans lost their perfection. Part of this process included the digestive system losing its ability to process food with 100% efficiency. Shortly after the successful temptation of Eve by Satan, over 6,000 years of human pooping and farting began.
Q: What about peeing?
A: Peeing is an excretory function and is just as immoral as pooping and farting.
Q: Why are the sexual organs used to pee?
A: To reinforce the evils of sex. If we are mindful of the fact that peeing is awful and immoral, then we are also mindful of the fact that other activities that involve the same organs are also awful and immoral. The Lord does not want these organs exposed to anybody (not even to yourself) and He certainly does not want them inserted into anybody, unless it can be demonstrated that a child is the intended result. Pursuant to this, it is necessary to remind each and every one of God's children that pooping, peeing, and sex are all evil, as are the sexual organs.
Q: If I am in church and I have to poop, what should I do?
A: Hold it! The fact that some misguided denominations have installed toilets in their churches does not mean that those toilets should be used! Can you imagine how impudent it is to sit down and void your bowels in a house of the Lord? Again, we must be very clear about this: We all poop, and there is no avoiding this. However, we are not mongrels with no control over our bodily functions! If you have to poop, fart, or pee, then hold it until you are in the privacy of your own home and there are no negative moral ramifications to your excretory actions!
We believe that toilets should be removed from all churches. If a voluntary request is not enough to make this happen, then we would support federal legislation banning certain types of plumbing from within 30 cubits of a church.
Q: When should I tell my children about pooping?
A: Well, obviously, they start doing it the day that they are born. They don't have to be taught how to do it. But there does come a time when children have to be taught about the immorality of pooping, farting, and peeing. Most experts suggest that the age of 6 or 7 is a good time for this lesson. This is the time when most children are apt to start experimenting with "pull my finger" games and other forms of Satanism.
No one should underestimate the amount of anti-Americanism in this "give-away".
The French are more "sore" about the Internet being in English (and software being American) than most people realize.
------ The best brain training is now totally free : )
I guess that means that my K-Fed CD is a a CD player on a CD.
...to store just music or other files.
http://theopencd.org/programs
Still, it looks pretty exciting. I'd love to have that stuff on the go. If France can break out of the grip of Microsoft, then perhaps the end of the monopoly is near.
Funtime Candy Wow! - my plan for eventually conquering Japan.
so how long until someone expoits the software on here, loads up their own payload and lets it fly? this many usb sticks with undetected exploit-ware on them would cause a lot of havoc! perhaps i'm wrong, but it would be interesting to see how they've tried to counter this threat.
French kid 2: "You got USB stick on my OSS!"
... and then they built the supercollider.
Check it out, some good stuff at
http://portableapps.com/
France has fallen to the Bitskrieg! Long said to be secure behind the impregnable Maginot-soft Windows line, the French will now have to face the humiliation of watching Richard M. Stallman parade down the Champs d'USB.
Don't trust anyone under thirty.
On my USB stick that I use for school files I have Portable FireFox, GAIM, and VLC media player (our school doesn't allow codecs like DivX), so as long as people know how to use the software, I think it could be well taken.
A lot easier than carrying around a computer for kids. Probably would be good to have a switch on the stick to write protect where the programs are stored from inadvertent erasure.
but do you think such a project would work here as well? If so, what software would you want to see loaded up? A free Windows Vista would be cool! *Ahem*
... they give schoolchildren pirate copies of Vista on a USB stick, with Bill Gates' signature.
The primary reason for the current far-right hatred of France is the war in Iraq. When USia was pitching the war, France was one of many countries that said that it was an absolutely stupid idea, destined for disaster. Now that the French prediction has come true, one would think that France would be due a certain measure of gratitude and an apology, as well as an acknowledgment that their advice should have been followed. Unfortunately, one of the defining characteristics of the extreme right is that they are unable to admit mistakes. This has had the effect of deepening the hatred and resentment towards France that is felt in some of USia's more trailer-oriented areas.
Here are a few examples of things that can be loaded.
Portable Apps
Apps that have been made to be put on a USB
http://portableapps.com/
TheOpenCD
http://www.theopencd.org/
Baiting: 4
LOLs: 9.7562
Piss off: 7
First Post +1 Modifier: N/A, you fucking fail it
Overall: 3 out of 5 dongs
Explanation: This was a very lol read and highly offensive, however not authentic-sounding enough to be taken seriously and replied to by anyone but the most fucktarded. This could be improved both by getting FP you fucking n00b and turning it all into the form of a question, or alternatively be less TL;DR.
Yours truly,
JiZZy
Troll Review Board
...but it is a great program. It is also nice to see open source getting distributed on a mass scale; I would like to see American schools take advantage of open source software rather than license traditional commercial softwares.
More important than software, however, is training how to use the software. Since I know nothing of the French education system, I have no idea what kind of curricular plans go with this distribution. Throwing computers, software, or even computer software on a stick is not going to solve any problems without some human assistance.
I just looked into something like this for myself and found portableapps.com. You can load up your standard OSS on a USB stick and then use them on any windows computer. I went out and bought the fastest USB stick I could find and loaded a few of my favorites on there (Firefox, 7Zip, OpenOffice and a few others). It's been really helpful to have the software I want when I am in a variety of locked-down university computer labs and I can do things with this software that the other students around me can't like open some obscure types of compressed files, save documents as PDFs, and browse the internet ad-free. Highly recommended if you often use public computers or work on other peoples' machines.
Well...I just spent 2 unsuccessful hours trying to get a new monitor to work under Fedora. It took a matter of minutes with XP. Sure, I've Googled the problem, and I probably am on the road to getting it working...but not yet (I've had enough for one day). It's a monitor! It should be the easiest thing in the world to install!!! Honestly, live CD's are neat, various distributions are fine, but Linux has to get a helluva lot easier to use. Developers need to stop saying "Well golly gee it's easy for me, it should be for you" and start focusing on what is actually easy for someone that is unfamiliar. Endless editing of configuration files is not going to win over users. My current monitor install is only my most recent issue. But "issues" seem to come up all too frequently. Usually I fight it out until things are working...but this is an unpleasant process when I have to sit there knowing I could resolve the same problem under Window in minutes. Sure, it comes down to familiarity with the system, but even after using Linux for several years I still find it to be a royal pain in the ass whenever I have to do something new or change anything...Sure, the answers are out there, but it usually requires consulting multiple books, lots of googling, hoping that someone else has had the same problem as me, and LOTS of time spent. I have no problem learning new things, but I (and many other people) don't have time for this much screwing around. Honestly, I think anyone that considers that to be an acceptable state of "ease of use" for the hypothetical "someone" thats never used linux...is out of their mind. When thing work...they work great, but sometimes it just seems like the amount of effort required to GET things working is unacceptable. I'm frustrated right now, and maybe this was a bit of a rant...but I think more thought needs to be given to what the knowledge/patience/experience level of the majority of computer users actually is, rather than projecting the "knowledge/patience/experience level" of your average linux user onto them.
Add a few more things depending on zee size of zee steeck.
"I'd rather be a lightning rod than a seismometer." -Ken Kesey
Mandriva Flash - A 3D Desktop in your pocket.
From the link:
Core and SoftwareKernel 2.6.17
Glibc 2.4
X.org 7.1
KDE 3.5.4
GCC 4.1
OpenOffice 2.0.3
Mozilla Firefox 1.5.0.6
Flash®Player 7.0.68
RealPlayer® 10.0.8.805
Do you think such a project would work here as well?
It could. Depends on how the most libraries are about people running independent stuff on their machines. (This is usually what people use if they don't have their own computer. Some 'free' terminals are actually quite restrictive in how they're used.) Also students are likely to erase the memory stick so they can use it entirely for their own purposes. So if you're using a device to promote something, you might need to figure out how to make the installed software read-only.
If so, what software would you want to see loaded up?
For starters probably not much more than what can already be found at PortableApps.com. Stuff like VLC, Firefox, and some other miscellaneous cool and useful stuff. Depending on the device capacity, might even have an entire OSS creative suite (Blender, Gimp, Audacity, etc.) or even an liveUSB 'nux distro of some sort?
...put it on an air-wick
That's a pretty good return on a payoff.
Why can't these kids download apps of the internet which is already there? Handing out USB keys is pointless, the software is out of date the moment it gets on these fancy CDs.
Give them an Apple ][ or Commode 64 with some documentation, Basic & assembly languages, sample programs, debuggers... Let them experience the essence of computing as no modern computer can allow.
Programming today is done by teams because it is generally impossible for a single person to cover all the bases of getting a product to market. The novice must surely be flummoxed by the current piecemeal approach to programming, much as the blind men were in trying to devine the totality of an elephant by the feel of some of its parts.
The Apple & Commodore were well documented and had available much software that would help to understand the hardware, firmware and software essence of computing. There are no powerful games for these machines, or IM capability that would distract modern kids from learning useful stuff. A whole bunch of 8 bit stuff could be crammed onto a single USB stick!
...omphaloskepsis often...
According to one of the articles, they'll be distributing 64.000 CDs. That's an awfully small and precise figure! (Request to Europeans: When writing in English, punctuate in English. Better still, "64 000" is correct in English, French, Turkish, Japanese, Swahili, ...)
And praytell, what the hell does this have to do with the story???
Translation: It seems that a large portion of software begins getting pirated by kids who don't have the money to buy the software or anything better to do, we aim to change this.
Wanna fight ? Bend over, stick your head up your ass, and fight for air.
They should put the Gimp and Blender. The only way to get the interface of those programs is to start using them really early. There is no hope left for us but please think of the children and don't spoil their only chance!
I think this USB stick will only have any effect on these kids if it will do what they want it to. They probably couldn't care less about using a word processing program, but watching movies and listening to music is something they might like to do. This stick comes preloaded with music and movie software--but, since it won't play mp3s (unless the school put out some dough--every OSS system I've used required some shady means of enabling mp3 playback), it won't do what the kids want it to, so they probably won't use it.
Don't get me wrong--the kids should have all their music in ogg, but they don't, and they aren't about to go convert it all for some schtick their school gave them.
It'll go in a drawer someplace.
Put it on a few billion USB sticks and hand it out to everyone in the world...It doesn't do any good if its still a pain to use.
I would not force Linux on them, but there is a lot of Windows OSS;
AbiWord first of all.
Gnumeric spreadsheet
VideoLAN Client (VLC)
GAIM multi-protocol IM software
GZIP file compression tool
wxBASIC BASIC Interpeter or similar
Games! This whole list; http://osswin.sourceforge.net/games.html
I think this would about do it and still fit on a modest USB stick.
What do you think?
Dog is my co-pilot.
...but that's just me.
stupid idiots
That tXhey can hold
They get wine in their lunchboxes and can take it to school.
And they get to eat french food every day.
09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0 is the magic number.
Although, once the monitor was setup, I did have to mess around a bit with xorg.conf to extend my desktop across both monitors, which I've done before so I knew the process. I remember the first time doing that was difficult, though the documentation has gotten _much_ better. With Windows all I had to do was check a box in the desktop properties box.
Comparing a single problem across OS's is a difficult subject, and tends to be extremely subjective. Windows you have pretty buttons that do most things, but when you do run into problems they tend to be big. With Linux, I have many config files, and the problems I run into tend to be easily fixed (keep in mind, I also don't rely on GUI configuration tools on Linux, so I can't compare how those work). What I do know is I'd much rather edit a configuration file than touch the Windows Registry. I've also experienced much fewer migranes with Linux than with Windows. I also know people who have had the opposite experience. So as always, YMMV.
That those kids probably all use except OpenOffice. What's the point of this again other than making noise?
Maybe this will lead to an emphasis on reducing the time-until-usable-GUI for free Unix-like operating systems... (something worth improving upon, imo)
Who modded this post flamebait? This could only be flamebait of one entity.......the entire slashdot "community." C'mon.
I think the overly excited response to a USB drive with some free crap on it, shows how baddly some /.ers misunderstand what "freedom" of choice means.
Freedom to choose means you can pick the best software for your task at hand. This program does not teach the students to think about freedom of software choice, rather it pushes a conclusion on students.
If the French schools were interested in honestly teaching students, they would have a Pro-Software-Choice program built around teaching kids how to make smart choices.
If you only use OSS then you are no freer then the person who only uses Microsoft. (Part of the reason that as a Red Hat guy from 5.2 to Fedora Core 6, I am currently considering switching to another Linux distribution that is built with both OSS and proprietary software packages like mp3 support, JAVA, Adobe, etc. with the base install. So tired of having to go install that after the core Fedora installation is finished.)
To be free you need to use what works best for you.
To be free you need to evaluate pros and cons of your choice, not make a choice because somebody put it on a USB drive for you.
If the French implemented a program to teach students how to make intelligent software decisions for their needs that would be innovative.
Instead the French are giving away software (they didn't even write). It is not innovative, it is tired and sad.
Open Source provides alternatives to everyone, but OSS is tailored to the way the software programmers want things to be. Proprietary software is written to meet the end user demands in the open market. Choice lets users decided when to use the best software for you.
Frances sucks, God Bless Texas!
DISCLOSURE: This was written using an open source web browser on a proprietary source OS.
Respect the Constitution
Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't the point here be to boot fromthe USB to run the OS that is pre-loaded on the stick?
If it's just OSS apps, and you're still requiring Windows OS, then it's not that revolutionary. Why would the user bother with te USB stick if the computer is already booted into Windows and has popular apps loaded?
Not to mention I would suspect that most Net Cafes would prevent booting from a USB device because they want you to run the special "cafe" software they usually have that prompts for your credit card, tracks your time, etc.
Now, if an entire university had a bunch of computer labs with absolutely no pre-installed OS, and gave all their students these USB sticks (with an OS to boot from), then that might be something.
-David
The poster obviously doesn't understand what a computer is and the relationship between a computer and its software... Calling a USB stick preloaded with software a "computer on a stick" is like calling a filled gas can a "car in a can".
Duct tape is like the Force. It has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the universe together.
This sort of thing is happenning all over the world, including the US and many other English speaking nations.
But suddenly, because its France, its due to anti-Americanism (in spite the fact that many of the distributed apps are written in the US) and anti-English (although all commercial equivilants to the distributed apps have french localisation).
Exactly!
Damn French! Most English people have been anti-American for ages but all of a sudden, along come the French, gain all the credit and manage to make it look cool in the process!
I demand other nations, beyond the French, get equal credit for loathing the current American administration.
(and guess where it's been)
http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/usb.html
Honestly why even mess around with Windows?
Granted from the standpoint of security, USB booting and having access
to that person's hard drive is a little iffy. I would say some one
should come up with a way to mitigate this kind of security breach
while still allowing USB booting. I'm guessing, but that would probably
bring some kindof DRM problem.
Any one know more about this?
Money is the root of all evil?
a) why did you have to expose poor Frances' sexual habits?
b) who is this "God", and
c) what is this "Texas" Is it some sort of third world fiefdom?
N
I grant you anti-corporation, but I don't see how free software can be viewed as anti-globalization... Free software is to some degree a product of globalization, and certainly benefits from it. Most of it is developed by people who are only vaguely aware of where on the globe the other contributers live.
While I love Free Software, and would encourage people to burn CDs of Free Software and hand them out to schools, neighbors, churches, etc., I am leery of a government getting behind this effort. The modus operandi of government is coercion, enforcement, mandates and dictates. But you can't coerce, enforce or mandate freedom. The minute you try it goes away.
Of course, "Free Software" is NOT liberty. It's a nice analogy, but it rapidly breaks down under scrutiny. Still, it's bizarre to see a government trying to encourage Free Software. Government is as much out of place encouraging Free Software as it is encouraging any philosophy or idea. The City of Paris would do a better job of promoting Free Software simply by getting out of its way. Let the free market of ideas work.
Don't blame me, I didn't vote for either of them!
Can't you see that this is just a political 'let's see if we can score some points in the next election' gimmick and not about MSFT vs Open Source?
...it was actually a leftover...she was built for Egypt, but Egypt went bankrupt before the statue was completed. She was originally to have a veil.
Also, I think the French helped the USA in the revolutionary war more because they hated the British than had any love for us.
I don't hate the French or anything...but lets not wax too sweetly on them just because some rightwing nutball decides to demonize them. Rightwing nutballs are best ignored. It's the only effective stategy for dealing with them.
B.
This is a sig. This is only a sig. Had this been an actual sig you would have been informed where to tune for more sigs.
Any idea how much space this software all takes, or how large the drives will be? The operation is said to cost about $3.4M, or under $20/student. Some of that will be administrative costs, too. Nonetheless, I'm impressed it can be done for so little.
There's no place I could be, since I've found Serenity...
What software would I like to see loaded up? Well, here's what's on MY USB stick:
Accesories
Calcute, Converber, Convert, Guillotine, Launchy, Boot Floppy Creator, WinRAR, Rejar, XN Resource Editor, Resource viewer, decompiler & recompiler., Universal Extractor, Allway Sync, pathsync, Batcher, Bulk Rename Utility, DataTool, XpAssociate,
Internet
mIRC, Miranda IM, qm - Quick Mailer, Thunderbird Portable, Opera , read_IE_proxy, VNC server for Win32, VNCViewer, ChrisControl, GreatNews: the intelligent rss reader, FollowMeIP (Show External IP),
File Transfer
Quick 'n Easy FTP Server 3.0, Portable WackGet, FTP Wanderer, HTTP File Server, utorrent,
Scanners
Network Stumbler, Angry IP scanner, MozillaCookiesView, IPNetInfo, HTTP Get Headers, SuperScan 4 Beta 1, SmartSniff, CurrPorts, NetStat Live, trout (Trace Route), WhoisThisDomain,
Uniform Server
Start Main Server, Stop Main Server, Start SlimFTPd, Stop SlimFTPd,
Media
CD / DVD
DvdReMake Pro, DVD Shrink 3.2, IFO-file editor, MuxMan, Windows XP Virtual CD, PowerISO, CDex CD-Ripper, BonkEnc Audio Encoder, Nero InfoTool, DVDINFOPro, Alcohol 120%, Standalone CD/DVD Burner, DeepBurner, EasyDVDBurner,
Graphics / Imaging
IrfanView, XnView, PaintStar, Portable GIMP, Resize, animagic32, Analyzer, LiquidIcon Editor, FSCapture, SnIco Editor, ColorCop, SmartMorph,
Audio
XMPlay, coolplayer, 1by1, Foobar2000, Easy MP3 Alarm Clock, mpTrim, WakeMeUP,
Video
Ant Movie Catalog, VLC Media Player, VLC Media Player - no skins, Media Player Classic, VirtualDub,
Office
Notepad++ : a free (GNU) source code editor, TED Notepad for Windows, UltraEdit-32 Professional Text/Hex Editor, ICEReaderRetail, Foxit Reader Pro, PdftkBuilder, TreePad Lite, Spell Magic, Total Organizer,
OpenOffice
OpenOffice.org, Writer, Calc, Base, Impress , Math , Draw ,
System
pstools, MyUninstaller, Autostart program viewer, Dependency Walker, DiskRecon, DiskImage, PassWordRenew, RegEdit PE, RegScanner, Registry Monitor, TreeSize Professional, ImageExplorer, Tola's patching engine v1.8, AbsoluteShield File Shredder, Removes hard to remove files, WhyReboot,
HD Tools
HDHacker, HDD Temperature Monitor, HDSpeed, HD Tune, Partition Table Doctor 3.0, Partition Table Editor for Windows, PartitionInfo Windows NT Version, Symantec GhostCast Server for Windows, Symantec Ghost Explorer, Symantec Ghost,
Info / Benchmark
Game XP, ClockGen, CPU-Z Application, aida32, everest, USB Browser, Parmavex WinAudit, RightMark Memory Analyzer, ServiWin Service and Driver manager,
Copy / Undelete
ActiveUndelete, Restoration, Unstopable Copier, BadCopy - Disk & CD Data Recovery Utility, raid,
Maintanance / Repair
Windows XP SP2 TCP/IP patch, ClamWin Portable, CCleaner Portable, xp-AntiSpy, Norton WinDoctor, Norton Disk Doctor, Ad-Aware SE, JkDefrag, Disk Analysis and Cleanup Utility, WinsockFix,
Security
TrueCrypt, Keylogger Detector, KeePass Password Safe v1.05, Omziff, Internet Explorer Passwords Viewer, WirelessKeyView, pcANYWHERE password, PasswordsPro, SAMInside, SAMInside, pwdump2,
Windows Shortcuts
edit_lmhosts, System, Add or Remove Programs, Computer Management, Services, Performance, Display, Network Connections, Printers and Faxes, Sounds and Audio Devices,
Games
lwwin, zetrix, rh, Bridging_the_Gap_v1, Process Explorer, My Computer, DSynchronize, DM2, Firefox, x2 - explorer replacement,
And all of it menued under PStart.
Every time I see this title I think "French Kiss Gets OSS from USB Sticks" and I'm left wondering if it's a virus or something.
You missed his entire point while somehow examplifying it at the same time. (and yes I just made a word up).
Your attempting to claim the your free way is the only wayto be be. If it wasn't then why ask how free a person can be with those specific questions. He is claiming that giving free software away doesn't do anything to let the user know there are choices and how to make them based on what they need. In the end, He is saying that it is the same as the other venders claiming you need this or cannot do something without this.
I only find this interesting because it is Ironic when the freedom of free software is about to shrink in an attempt to protect it with the GPLv3. The whole premis behind it is to force someone to do something they are not willing to do as of now. So i guess the idea or free or freedom isn't a static definition but more of a moving target. The question that remains is Who's version of freedom is the free-est and who version is most benificial. I'm asuming that they are simular but not the same. Although nothing would stop one version of freedom from being both the most benificial as well as the most free. I just don't think it would ever have the same definition and this is an example of why.
If the French are so enthusiastic about being open source and/or moving away from Microsoft, why is their France24 video stream on their website Microsoft-only?
France24 is supposed to be the bastion of everything French to the rest of the world and you can't watch it online unless you're using IE, running Windows, have WMP, etc.
I'm sure everything on these USB sticks, aside from music, will be other files. (Who uses directories these days?)
C'mon, this is slashdot. You don't have to say "other files", you can say "pr0n" here...
Well, the www.americanparknetwork.com seems to say this about it:
"Many people believed Charlotte Bartholdi (1801-1891) was the model for the statue. Others thought it was based on her son's early drawings for a never-commissioned statue in Egypt. The sculptor's true inspiration for his masterpiece remains a mystery."
So you probably pulled that veil-nonsense out of your ass.> like calling a filled gas can a "car in a can". ..Yes... it's like that.. assuming that there are free tanks sitting around on the street all over the place.
The French government may have vested interest in moving towards Open Source and away from (U.S.-centric) proprietary software, due to suspected backdoors planted according to demands by the U.S. government. Same holds true for countries like China, Russia.
Are they getting something like Puppy Linux? http://www.puppyos.com/ This can be used on a flash drive to run Linux on any computer that is capable of booting from USB.
We did lambda calculus on paper, and that's the way we liked it!
Seriously though, this isn't a "we want the kids to become programmers" issue, this is a "we want the kids to be less dependent on proprietary applications" issue.
I'd want a virtual linux system that will autostart a session when I stick it in or that will boot directly into linux if I restart. I am wanting to have as much seperation of my information from MS stuff as possible.
I am not sure how to achieve that. I have a bootable USB drive and would have to work on getting the virtual system set up.
I'd go on a Vegan diet but the delivery time from Vega is too long. --brownkitty
Why aren't all usb sticks preloaded with OSS? I don't think it would increase their costs that much and it would look good in ads. Things like OO.org, Firefox, GIMP etc with nice shared installer and option to burn contents on CD/DVD.
Honestly, I think anyone that considers that to be an acceptable state of "ease of use" for the hypothetical "someone" thats never used linux...is out of their mind. When thing work...they work great, but sometimes it just seems like the amount of effort required to GET things working is unacceptable.
I had just the oposite happen. I took a machine and converted over to Ubuntu. Everything worked without ever going online or locating a CD for a driver unlike a Windows install. Everything came up running without endless reboots. I even was able to connect to my HP printers on the lan on Hawking printservers without installing a single driver from CD/floppy/download.
The only thing that didn't work was my HP flatbed scanner was not recognised. I replaced it with a USB Cannon scanner. Again, no drivers or configuration needed. It was truly plug and play. No reboot was needed.
There some things not compatible with Vista or drivers are coming soon... The same is true for Linux.
Getting a machine up and running is only a small part. Keeping it running is a much bigger problem. I have problems on my wife's XP machine I have not been able to fix in almost a year. (most notably the flatbed scanner output has been hy-jacked by a photo editor which broke the photocopier. Hitting copy in the photocopier software launches the TWAIN interface, which launches the photo editor, which keeps the photocopier from getting the scan. Uninstalling the photo editor did not fix the problem.) I photcopy on the Linux machine now. The scanning options is much better than the Windows version ever was. I can even properly compensate and make good copies off canary paper. Gimp is better than any bundeled photo editor demo included on the XP machine.
I have noticed the Windows machine seems to fall apart and the Linux machine keeps on running properly.
but I think more thought needs to be given to what the knowledge/patience/experience level of the majority of computer users actually is, rather than projecting the "knowledge/patience/experience level" of your average linux user onto them.
My Ubuntu install is my second Linux install. I'm about as newbie as they come. It does pay to read up on it. In Windows the same is true, except there is less official documentation. You have had Windows long enough you are comfortable installing AV software, upgrading browsers, installing patches, and maybe even editing the registery to finish removal of a paticular nasty piece of adware.
but Linux has to get a helluva lot easier to use.
I say the same thing regarding fixing Windows. I still sometimes get burned copying something to a USB drive or Network drive only to find later that I just made links instead of copying the files. Ever drag the my personal folders into a shared netowrk drive to reformat and rebuild a Windows machine gone bad, only to discover later that the copies of some of your files are just links to the originals which no longer exist?
Easier is just what you are used to. In Linux, when I copy something, I get a copy, not a link.
I would guess from the problems you had with the monitor is it is possibly using an interface other than the 15 pin D-sub such as HDMI. Cutting edge is not always fully supported. Find out what is compatible. I ditched an incompatible flatbed scanner. Some manufactures are not Linux friendly.
The truth shall set you free!
I keep hearing references to using USB sticks to have 'your own' computer when your at a cafe or similar establishment. I have never understood this -- perhaps Denmark is different from the rest of the world on this point, but the cafes I have seen, the first thing they do is to disable the USB drive.
Surely, you would not be able to *boot* from USB at 99.9% of cafe computers? Or am I entirely off the track here?
"Good news, everyone!"
I wasn't around during World Wars One or Two; but, unless it's a recent phenomenon for the Americans to shoot soldiers on their own side, I'd say the French would have managed just fine without.
Je fume. Tu fumes. Nous fûmes!
French teens being French teens, is it not possible that they will rebel against the state imposed free software, as is there wont, and rally behind the cry of liberation: 'Where do you want to go today!'
Genesis 1:32 And God typed
look at the way he's ignoring all the people disliking him. Apparently listening to the people isn't very democratic.
What an arse.
First, connect the monitor's VGA cable directly to the PC's graphics card, not via a KVM switch or extension cable -- those things can muck up the monitor's data comms lines which are used for autodetection -- and use the Open Source driver from X.org, not the closed source nVidia/ATI binary driver (at least, until you've got it set up properly; once you have a picture, feel free to pollute your system with slaveware, but if you break both your legs you'd better not come running to me). Restart your computer. In the worst case, rm -rF /etc/X11* to blow away all your old configuration files, and forcibly reinstall X.org. Only when you have it working can you begin to muck about with KVM switches, extension leads and binary drivers.
I hope I'm not feeding a cut-n-paste troll here. But this is high grade troll poison anyway, so it's OK if I am.
Je fume. Tu fumes. Nous fûmes!
Puppy Linux OS + Apps = 84MB.
.iso file Here.
I've been using Puppy Linux for some time now,
it lives up to it's name - the friendliest small Linux install I've ever encountered.
Boots clean and fast from a USB stick, runs everything from a compressed RAM drive.
DSL Linux is a bit smaller, but Puppy Apps seem to work better.
The only shortcoming I find in Linux in general is overall support for new scanners/printers/cameras.
Drivers always seem to be a low priority to the OEMs.
Get the Puppy Linux LiveCD
1. Burn CD 2.Boot CD 3. Run Install Wizard to USB flash drive memory stick. Done.
The sea-cook looked at what had been given him.
'The black spot! I thought so,' he observed. 'Where might you have got the paper? Why, hillo! look here, now: this aint lucky! You've gone and cut this out of a Bible. What fool's cut a Bible?'
'Ah, there!' said Morgan--there! Wot did I say? No good'll come o' that, I said.'
'Well, you've about fixed it now, among you,' continue Silver. 'You'll all swing now, I reckon. What soft-headed lubber had a Bible?'
'It was Dick,' said one.
'Dick, was it? Then Dick can get to prayers,' said Silver 'He's seen his slice of luck, has Dick, and you may lay to that.'
But here the long man with the yellow eyes struck in.
'Belay that talk, John Silver,' he said. 'This crew has tipped you the black spot in full council, as in dooty bound; just you turn it over, as in dooty bound, and see what's wrote there. Then you can talk.'
'Thanky, George,' replied the sea-cook. 'You always was brisk for business, and has the rules by heart, George, as I'm pleased to see. Well, what is it, anyway? Ah! "Deposed"--that's it, is it? Very pretty wrote, to be sure; like print, I swear. Your hand o' write, George? Why, you was gettin' quite a leadin' man in this here crew. You'll be cap'n next, shouldn't wonder. Just oblige me with that torch again, will you? this pipe don't draw.'
-- Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island.
Before running any free software handed out like candy by any 3rd party entity, be it governmental, for-profit or non-profit, the logical first question should not be "what can I do with this software" but "how do I know this software is safe to use"? Users should be able to satisfy themselves of this question quickly, simply and easily before even so much as considering the potential value of the software in question.
...one voucher for a free pack of cigarettes. Viva la France!
This sounds like it has not been thought through to me. Won't this make it impossible to protest when Microsoft (or Apple or Google) does exactly the same thing?
And is it not to be expected that Microsoft will do a better job at it than the Paris Goverment?
Just thinking out loud here...
Are there any public-use computers left in the world that aren't locked down to prohibit this?
We (my small company) did the same thing with my daughters school as a test enviroment and so far the teachers love the idea.
We have also set up three clients the same way.
-- I am the NRA, enough said...
Lunix... got r00t?
I wouldn't trust Lunix OS security to protect anything more important than a pocket calculator. Unless they are going to put a few layers of virtual firewalls on the USB sticks... I'd skip it.
now now now. I want it now. How come the French always get to have all the fun?
Is the software placed on the stick permanently? If not, how long will it take to use these sticks just to transport documents, MP3's etc?
Sig (appended to the end of comments I post, 54 chars)
The existence of GPL3 will not retire GPL2. Therefore, if the author of the code wishes, they can use the GPL3. If they wish, they may use GPL2. The ONLY person who is "limited" by the GPL3 that is not limited by the GPL2 is if they didn't write the software. So why should their lessening of freedom be accepted?
From the FSF's POV this isn't the argument, so I've phrased an argument that follows what you believe to be the need for copyright and freedom.
NOTE: the FSF says that the user of the software needs to be free. If the user wants to limit the freedom of other users then that is trumped by the need of the vaster "everyone else" to remain free. If the owner of copyright doesn't agree to that, they are free to use another license for THEIR OWN CODE. Their freedom isn't diminished. ALL potential users' freedoms are protected and therefore they are ALL more free.
The Bush crew offered both Russia and France multi-billion dollar contracts if they would support the war. If their interest was solely financial they would have supported the war. Instead they said "let the inspections regime continue" and got locked out of even bidding on open contracts (funny how the free traders never bring that one up, 'eh?). About 9 months into the occupation the US again offered France and Russia participation at the feeding trough of "reconstruction" contracts in exchange for support of the occupation and both again rejected the offer. So why is it you think they only participate in wars that are in their financial interest?
In the case of France, despite the propaganda we are subjected to in the US, many French think of the US as France's sibling. They see our two nations as sisters in liberty and so they think they can be open and honest with us in the way family members are. Sometimes when you see your little brother acting like an idiot you have to confront him and things can get heated. That is the predominant view among the French elite. Meanwhile in the US we have people making shit up about France and trying to drive our two nations apart...
The glass is half-full. With poison. And there are cracks in the glass. The dirty, dirty glass.
Real kids will also want to see the hardware + the broadband connection. They want to sit in their rooms and play games, pr0n etc. Not hang out in uncool internet cafe's.
Engineering is the art of compromise.
Maybe if you hadn't been trying for first post, and had spent as much time on your original comment as you did on this one, the original would have been modded like this one was, even though it and this are still far, far off topic. Cry me a fucking river. You know exactly what you did and why you were down-modded.
You can say anything you want on Slashdot and get modded up for it. Just refrain from being an asshole.
- None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
I'd add a computer algebra system, like Maxima (with its wxMaxima front-end) or Yacas. Very cool capabilities. Wikipedia's list of computer algebra systems gives lots of links to more info.
- David A. Wheeler (see my Secure Programming HOWTO)
Are you sure internet cafés are uncool? Why? Because you can sit next to and actually talk to a real friend in flesh and blood?
The point of a computing-environment-on-a-stick is so that you're not tied to that computer in your bedroom next to your smelly linen basket. It's a bit like network computing, but without the network. (And of course network computing only failed because it relied on a network.)
I think this may be the way to turn the public on to free software -- the freedom the advocates talk about is realised in a very tangible, understandable way.
Unless someone gets a Personal Server style project running, but that I doubt.
HAL.
Got them moderator blues I blieve I walk out the do', With these mod-points I been gettin', I 'most never post no mo'
Meanwhile, eBay's European division is reporting an unexpected increase in the sales of Thumb Drives.
Who would win this election: Andrew Weiner vs Andrew Weiner's weiner.
I haven't used Vista, nor do I know how its new security "features" work, but I'm wondering Vista security would interfere if the USB solution you suggest. Just curious.
--
Franklin
Windows has more viruses because linux has more virus coders.
'but do you think such a project would work here as well'
I live in Europe so this is here for me, you insensitive clod!
AC
It's too bad these apps aren't truly portable. They're only portable from one Win32 box to another. Imagine if all of these apps were coded in Java and would run on any machine with a suitable JVM implementation, then they would truly be portable.
english is my first language, but my only formal education in it was from U.S. public schools, so you may forgive me for
But still, the $100 laptop isn't out yet, and won't be priced at $100 for years. For now, maybe schools could hand out USB sticks with, say, SLAX (bonus: modular = easily expandable, without having to re-burn a whole CD) on them, maybe along with FireFox 2 (nobody would care if they used IceWeasel instead), GAIM 2 beta, amaroK 1.4.5, etc... I could help. My school's IT staff will listen to me. I tried getting them to switch to the GIMP (unsuccessfully), maybe I could bounce that idea off them. SLAX has a future. Not that other USB-based distros (i.e. MCNLive) don't...
I use Fedora and Ubuntu Linux. I advocate Free Software at my school. I am a PROUD GEEK!
After reading all of the current comments (including the misguided ones) I decided to seek out the original article as I am interested in the subject. The source of the article was posted on ZDnet in France ( http://www.zdnet.fr/actualites/informatique/0,3904 0745,39366715,00.htm ) and yes it is in French, however you can use Google translator and get the sense of it if you don't have French language skills. It seems that it is aimed at giving the high school kids some personal "ownership" of portable computer resources to be used at school and home, though I doubt that the kids would rush down to the local cyber café and use their Education Department supplied Mandriva bootable USB key http://www.zdnet.fr/actualites/informatique/0,3904 0745,39365885,00.htm after school hours when they could be on-line gaming. And yes, there is a political angle to all of this, as according to other articles referenced by the above original, France is attempting to create a competitive position for Open Source Software, which is not being Anti-American at all (the French are ambivalent at best, toward other countries). BTW I do have a different (neutral) cultural perspective than most posters on this issue as I am an expatriate Australian, living and working in France.
It seems you live in US but i'm not sure if you "US-Citizens" are even a majority reading this web.
"Here" in Spain there are a lot of public places to use a computer if you don't own one, but every year they are less visited by spanish people and more used by immigrants who want to call home or enjoy the net. That is that way becouse every year more parents know their children need to be acquainted with computers having one at home.
I think most people will (re)format the USB-Stick and use it for other stuff so, why care about what should be on it?
I think giving that sticks for free is just a political movement to 'buy' votes from young people.